Depending on the reason for disinfecting your tank, you can use one of two methods. If you are wanting to give a dirty tank a good clean, vinegar and water is a quick and efficient solution. However, if the tank has had sick fish ,you need to use a stronger solution like bleach. People are often afraid to resort to bleach, but it is safe if used correctly.

Vinegar Solution.

​Vinegar can be used to clean your tank, filter, heater and all decorations using a 1:1 vinegar/water solution. All items can be left to soak for several hours. Once the items are finished soaking, be sure to rinse everything off really well. Now your aquarium and equipment are ready for use. Once the tank has been filled with water, be sure to use a good water conditioner.

​If the filter has hard water build up on it, you can set it up to run in a bucket with a water vinegar solution for a few hours. This will clean all the inner workings and break down the hard water build up. If a stronger solution is needed, use a 2:1 ratio of vinegar to water. Thoroughly rinse before putting back in your aquarium.

​Bleach Solution.

The bleach needs to be regular household bleach. Do not use a bleach mixed with other detergents. The solution is usually eight parts water to one part bleach. There are two ways to use the bleach in your aquarium.

​Put the bleach in a spray bottle and spray the inside of the aquarium. Leave it to sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. Do not let it sit for longer. The bleach is corrosive and can cause damage to the aquarium. The tank must be allowed to air dry for 24 hours before being used. This will break down any harmless residue left on the tank.

Use a 8:1 water/bleach ratio to fill the aquarium. Allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes. Do not allow it to sit for longer as the bleach is a corrosive chemical and can cause damage to the tank. Rinse the tank thoroughly and allow it to air dry for 24 hours.

Once the tank has been left to dry for 24 hours, fill it with water and add a dechlorinator. Leave it to sit for one to two hours.

Empty the tank and refill adding the dechlorinator, and the tank is now ready to use.

​Decoration, filters, and heaters can also be cleaned using the same 8:1 water to bleach ratio. You can either soak them or spray them. The same rule applies as with the tanks. Do not leave anything with bleach on them for longer than 10-15 minutes. When you are done, be sure to rinse everything thoroughly. Remember to allow everything to air dry for 24 hours before adding them back into your tank.

​Happy fish keeping!

*Bleach can be corrosive and cause discoloration to some materials.​*Bleach is very dangerous to fish. Be sure to remove all fish from the area you are working in.​*Bleach can cause skin irritation and is harmful if ingested or comes into contact with the eyes.

Hi there! Thank you guys for an awesome website, videos and information. Im a little bit worried now reading on how to disinfect my fish tank because I just had a fish yesterday die of dropsy, so I cleaned out the tank with a lot of water, I bought new gravel, new plants, decor and a new betta but what I didn't do is use vinegar nor bleach. Now I'm freaking out that my new beta, who is now in the tank could possibly catch that bacteria and die. Please help. What should I do?

Thank you again!

Reply

LifewithPets

8/20/2016 05:17:19 pm

Thank you for visiting our site. Dropsy is typically not contagious. If you have bought all new gravel and decor you should be ok however it is always advisable to use vinegar or bleach to disinfect a tank especially if it's had a sick fish in it.

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River

6/29/2017 10:47:52 am

Can I use bleach-solution on my gravel also?
And what's the best way to disinfect silk plants?

Reply

Gabriella Kertis

11/13/2017 12:54:53 am

I would like to thank you for videos and information. I love my new Betta, Budda. He will be getting a new plant scape 10 gallon setup and I followed all the directions from watching videos! H2O plants are great and I look forward to using some of the materials you introduced me to and hope to achieve positive results. Thanks again, Gabriella Kertis

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Lifewithpets

11/16/2017 09:34:18 pm

That's good to hear. Thank you.

Reply

Sheila

11/16/2017 09:33:24 pm

Thank you. That is good to hear.

Reply

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We are a Christian family who love to talk about our pets. With each pet we've owned over the years we have done extensive research as to their care. We've also learned a lot through our mistakes. All the information shared on this site is experienced or well researched. Please join in the discussion as we share tips on practical pet keeping.